So Minnesota is 11 and can't even host. Ole Miss ends up with RPI 18 and skyrockets to 12. Utah checks in with RPI 19 and gets to host despite losing 5 of their last 6, including a couple to Washington in gruesome fashion.

As far as Top 16 RPI and hosting go, Minnesota/JMU/ULL top 16 and don't host; Kentucky, Ole Miss, and Utah below top 16 and do host.

The RPI isn't the tell-all and the only tool used, but the committee sure sent a message and I am not completely sure it is a good one.

The three teams that didn't get to host sure could have scheduled better in the non-conference. I think we can agree on that. But Ole Miss played a not-so-great non-conference schedule and is definitely rewarded by the conference they play in. Kentucky, also.

LSU went from 15 to 10 LAST year by reaching the SECT final, barely anything this year

Utah gets the Georgia bump from last year... as committee de-emphasized an awful finish, like Ga. had last year. Still, 11 Top 25 wins and a winning record in those games. Whereas Georgia had 14 T25s, but a losing record

The enduring question.... what was the possible data that pushed Kentucky ahead of Bama

LSU went from 15 to 10 LAST year by reaching the SECT final, barely anything this year

Utah gets the Georgia bump from last year... as committee de-emphasized an awful finish, like Ga. had last year. Still, 11 Top 25 wins and a winning record in those games. Whereas Georgia had 14 T25s, but a losing record

The enduring question.... what was the possible data that pushed Kentucky ahead of Bama

I would argue that Ole Miss got the "LSU bump" this year. Last year, LSU was hot going into the SEC-T (had just taken 2 of 3 from Washington and had won 12 of 13 overall). This year, LSU limped into the SEC-T (5-5 in last 10 games, lost 2 of 3 at S.C. right before tournament) and didn't get as big of a rise from winning 3 at the SEC-T. I have no problem with where LSU landed, who is in their regional, and where they are headed if they win the regional. I figured ULL and McNeese were coming to Baton Rouge and that the regional winner would be placed with one of the Pac-12 teams or Florida State. So this part of the bracket actually makes a decent amount of sense. As for the rest of the bracket, well.....

I also can't quite grasp why Kentucky jumped Alabama either. I would say that if Kentucky had been seeded 16, it could set up a possible super-regional re-match between Florida and Kentucky, but the committee already broke that trend by putting A&M and Tennessee together along with Utah and Washington. Since Alabama and Florida didn't play in the regular season, maybe the committee thought this fit better....but I am grasping at straws.

Now that the committee has spoken, is there any need for the SEC and PAC teams to ever schedule mid major overachievers like ULL and JMU? if I was them I would start a SEC/PAC-12 Challenge. ????#monopoly #checkmate

I applaud rewarding the tough schedule and placing an emphasis on top 25 wins, etc. Even so, I think Minnesota was treated harshly. The only upside for the gophers is that they can now play chip-on-the-shoulder softball. __________________vance law

Originally Posted by justadad_Now that the committee has spoken, is there any need for the SEC and PAC teams to ever schedule mid major overachievers like ULL and JMU? if I was them I would start a SEC/PAC-12 Challenge. ????#monopoly #checkmate

Is there a reason those teams can't go to The Nutter, Garmin?

JMU is going to Puerto Vallarta next year. This should help.__________________"Never argue with a fool, they will lower you to their level and then beat you with experience."

AleDawg, Not sure, but maybe they will in the future. How much control of the schedule would a school like JMU have at The Nutter? My guess is zero. I know The Nutter falls on the same weekend Michelle Smith has her Pediatric Cancer Foundation Invitational and the teams that JMU played there last year were #12 Tennessee, Depaul, Fordham, #3 Auburn and Oklahoma State. JMU went 5-0 vs those 5 NCAA tournament teams. They committed to the same tournament this year but the two SEC teams chose not to play in it which made a huge difference in their sos.

Originally Posted by justadad_ How much control of the schedule would a school like JMU have at The Nutter?

From what I understand you can ask for a Hard/Medium/Soft schedule. If you get it though is another matter.

Quote:

Originally Posted by justadad_ I know The Nutter falls on the same weekend Michelle Smith has her Pediatric Cancer Foundation Invitational and the teams that JMU played there last year were #12 Tennessee, Depaul, Fordham, #3 Auburn and Oklahoma State. JMU went 5-0 vs those 5 NCAA tournament teams. They committed to the same tournament this year but the two SEC teams chose not to play in it which made a huge difference in their sos.

Interesting info. I didn't know this. Goes to show it's never as easy as "just schedule better."__________________"Never argue with a fool, they will lower you to their level and then beat you with experience."

It seems I nailed the #13 -> #20 calculations I made. Also, as stated, UCLA was going to be no better than #3 ... certainly not #1.

Brian

Congrats. And next year you'll know not to waste your time since the committee threw the RPI in the trash heap when doing their 10-16 seeds. Dropped 10 Baylor 5 spots, dropped 11 Minnesota out of top 16, dropped 13 JMU out of top 16, moved 17 Ky up to 14, moved 18 OM up to 12, moved 19 Utah up 8 spots.

I wish they would have given UL the 16 seed since they beat Bama 2 of 3.
__________________

Can't assume you're better than anyone other than the best team you beat. For Minny, that was #14 LSU. Sliding to #17 isn't that far. Didn't help that they would have been largely an island hosting, with only ND St busing in.

The most important number in the entire RPI breakdown is your team's number before the hyphen in the "1-25" column of the Nitty Gritty

Fewer than 4? Close your ticket windows

And, a Top 5 win is worth at least 2 standard T25s... maybe even 3

Illinois finished at #27. So what you are saying is that the Gophers should have lost that final game to Illinois and then hoped IL beat Ohio State for the Big 10 tournament championship. That way IL probably climbs up two spots back into the Top 25, and now our two earlier wins against IL would be top 25 wins, raising our total to the magic number of 4. Well that makes sense.

Ironic that people trash the RPI all year long ... and then base their "who got hosed" on that same formula that they say is bad data.

Minnesota got screwed, which also screws Alabama and Florida. I'd have had Alabama and Kentucky swap places, but that's not a major shift. Ole Miss is probably a bit too high but look at the quality wins on their resume, add a conference championship (tourney albeit) in the best conference in the country and the 'hot at the right time' factor and I can see it.

Oklahoma could have nudged up, but that league is WEAK. So I also get that, even if I'd have had them higher.

Looking at records from NCAA entrants, Alabama was one of three SEC teams to play a road games out of conference against a top 25 team (3 games at UL) along with Mississippi State (1 at OK) and Arkansas (1 at Tulsa). After this years NCAA selections, I'm wondering if the SEC will play any OOC road games against top competition ever again.

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